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Muammar Qaddafi tried to escape his “last stand” in Sirte twice this morning. According to BBC radio’s interview of Bernhard-Henri Levy, the French philosopher who single-handedly convinced Sarkozy to intervene, Qaddafi and his remaining loyalist fighters attempted to escape in a convoy of cars that first tried to go west, but had to turn back under heavy rebel fire. After another attempt to escape to the east failed the same way, Qaddafi ended up hiding in an underground cement drainage pipe where he was found by Anti-Qaddafi fighters. Various other reports claim that one of Qaddafi’s sons and some guards were with him in the cement pipe and were killed resisting, but others claim
Continue reading Qaddafi Killed, Violent Dictators Witness Potential Fate
Karl Denninger helped found the Tea Party in reaction to what they initially termed “unfair practices” by the government. He believes the same phenomenon is occurring today, although it seems to be occurring on the other side of the political spectrum. Somehow this Tea Party founder has seen through the slanted news coverage depicting the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters as slacker heroine junkies that are smearing their feces all over America’s park monuments and spitting on cops. It’s only from experience that Denninger recognizes the effect of warped news coverage and the special attention given to the craziest people with the most colorful costumes and the most extreme political views.
It seems counter
Continue reading Tea Party Founder Supports Occupy Wall Street
Admiral Mullen testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday about Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence direct involvement in an attack on the US Embassy in Kabul on September 13th. Pakistan has stopped denying that these connections between the ISI and the Haqqani network exist, instead announcing that it doesn’t do any good to say such things about allies in the open. It seems we should forget the fact that saying such things in private hasn’t done any good either. You may notice from a previous article, “The Pakistani People are Going Insane!”, that this author has certain opinions about the complexity of Pakistani public opinion and how it relates to reality.
In my experience, you
Continue reading An Open Secret About Pakistan Revealed to the World
No, he wasn’t hiding in the caves of Pakistan living a Spartan existence and somehow getting regular dialysis treatments. Osama was living in a mansion in the Pakistani military city of Abbottabad. Granted Pakistan has many other military cities, the largest being Rawalpindi, but Abbottabad is where Pakistan has established its own version of America’s Westpoint Academy or the United Kingdom’s Sandhurst Academy. The significant aspect of this story is not that Osama lived in a mansion because it’s clear he lived a traditionally pious existence there, i.e. no furniture, no fancy electronics, etc. The significant take away item from this story is that Osama Bin Laden’s five year stay in a large compound
Continue reading Osama Found and Killed in Pakistani Mansion
The “Arab Spring” or Arab Revolution has continued to crystallize to the point where a thoroughly surprised international community has accepted the fact that the world will never be the same. This is not over by a long shot, but the momentum displayed throughout the region has become nearly institutionalized in the all important end of week Friday prayers or Jumu’ah. Friday prayers mean a lot more than just another day of worship and this weekly event symbolizes more than the weekend or a day of rest. Friday is more a day of congregational prayer that has evolved to consist of political discussions in modern times. Not coincidentally, the political nature of these Friday
Continue reading The Arab Day of Rage Pummels Dictators Every Friday
A wave of fearless mass protests has continued to spread across the Middle East with the now common day of rage hitting the streets of Syrian cities every Friday now. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be following the Egyptian or Tunisian model, which consists of a relatively limited government response where any brutality is met with an endless mass of peaceful protesters. Syria’s President Assad seems to be following the example of his dictator father and Qaddafi in Libya. The Syrian security forces, and now military, are simply gunning down protesters in the streets.
Unlike Egypt, there is very little daylight, if any, between the ruling regime and the Syrian military. Assad continues
Continue reading Arab Spring Spreads to Syria
As Barack Obama grew up, they didn’t call him Barack, or even Obama. Our President used to be known as Barry and the USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer, happens to symbolize President Obama’s laid back military philosophy. What do I mean by laid back? Well first of all, France is leading this one. I’m sure this fact will be the butt of many jokes, but I think it’s a perfect sign of the times. I’m like most Americans in that I never had a taste for drawn out land wars, but now we’ve shared this distaste with everyone in the Middle East. The Arab world has seen enough armed Americans
Continue reading USS Barry Sends Over One Hundred Tomahawks into Libya
The United Nations Security Counsel just authorized the use of a no fly zone as well as any other measures necessary to protect civilians up to, but not including actual occupation. It looks like the UK, France and the US will be enforcing the no fly zone as well as any protective military action in Libya unless NATO can come to a unanimous decision over the military operation. The main hurdle to NATO engagement in the now authorized no fly zone over Libya is Turkey. A long time member of NATO, Turkey has deep and complicated ties to the Arab world, although some believe the recent Arab League endorsement of a no fly zone
Continue reading UN Security Counsel Authorizes No Fly Zone Over Libya
Qaddafi has continued to cling to power even as Libyan rebels gather forces and weapons to defend the territory they have and inch forward towards Tripoli. Qaddafi has sent his son’s well equipped battalions, who are grimly motivated by either ideology or the threat of execution, to take back Libyan towns under rebel control. They have not been successful so far. Although the town of Zawiya has suffered several counter attacks and Libyan forces even occupied parts of the town, rebel forces have continued to take the town back; despite air attacks by Qaddafi’s air force. A Libyan jet was recently shot down by rebel forces revealing two charred bodies.
I personally wonder the
Continue reading Gadhafi Slaughters his People…Gbagbo Follows his Lead
We are now seeing what kind of oppression is possible during this Middle East wide revolution under the rule of some dictators. Gaddafi, after recently attempting to become an upstanding member of the international community during the first decade of this century is now showing his true colors. Peaceful Libyan protesters have been directly fired upon by government forces. This slaughter is shocking the world community and giving other protesters around the region something to worry about if they decide to try the same thing. Bahrain also recently fired upon protesters in their capital’s Pearl Square, but the follow up violence hasn’t continued for now.
Libyan forces on the other hand, have begun massacring
Continue reading And Now Libya’s Turn
Extremely brave protesters in Egypt have once again demonstrated a new dynamic across the Middle East. Arab’s around the region are losing their fear of police sticks, tear gas and even bullets. The streets are filled with people 30 and younger who have been living under the rule of Hosni Mubarak their entire lives. Some fear the Muslim Brotherhood is going to take over Egypt, disavow the peace treaty with Israel and begin an Islamic government, others believe everyone in Tahrir Square simply wants smart phones, BMWs and all kinds of other Western goodies, but once again the truth lies somewhere in between.
A post Mubarak Egypt will most likely honor it’s peace obligations
Continue reading Egypt Going Down?
Recent elections in the Ivory Coast have been disputed with the incumbent, President Laurent Gbagbo, claiming victory while his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, is recognized by the UN and the international community as the real winner of the elections. Steam has been gathering from surrounding nations to confront Gbagbo and remove him from office. His supporters won’t make this easy, but they haven’t visited violence on their leader’s political opponents yet. The United Nations is making moves to recognize Ouattara as the legitimate leader of the Ivory Coast government while surrounding African nations are meeting about taking steps to form an intervention force consisting of military forces contributed by West African nations.
Gbagbo remains defiant
Continue reading A Test of African Stability
Anybody remember David Stockman? He served as Ronald Reagan’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1981 to 1985 and he oversaw one of the greatest tax cuts in American history. He’s had a change of heart it seems. According to figures Stockman is touting around the political talk show circuit, the wealthiest 5% of American Households was worth $8 trillion in 1985. Only 25 years later, that same top 5% of wealthiest Americans is today worth $40 trillion. Stockman goes on to explain that this net worth gain from $8 trillion to $40 trillion over 25 years for the top 5% of Americans is more wealth than the entire human race
Continue reading Reagan Tax Cut Architect Against Extension of Bush Tax Cuts
The last decade has been a painful and confusing one and although it has taken nine years since 9/11 to fully blossom, American fear and hatred of Islam has become a threat to the United States Constitution and all of our freedoms. If that sounds shocking or confusing to some readers then let me be clear again. No religion is a threat to the U.S., especially not Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are a scourge to the global community, but the same goes for the fundamentalist sect of any religion in our country. A recent surge of religious intolerance towards Muslims, only a white capped wave reaching up from an ocean of fear, threatens the foundation
Continue reading The Constitution vs. Fear
By Bill Roggio
September 3, 2010
The Taliban again struck at religious minorities inside Pakistan, killing 54 people in a car bombing at a protest in Quetta and one more person outside a mosque in Mardan.
In Quetta, a suicide car bomb was detonated in the midst of a Qods Day protest held by Shia Muslims who oppose Israel’s control of Jerusalem. Gunmen then opened fire after the blast. Fifty-four people were killed and nearly 200 were wounded, according to reports from Geo News and Dawn.
In the district of Mardan in Pakistan’s northwest, a suicide bomber detonated outside a Ahmadi mosque in the town of Muslimabad Canal. The suicide bomber was armed with
Continue reading Taliban kill 55 in suicide attacks against religious minorities in Quetta and Mardan
For some reason most Americans have no trouble forgetting our original rationale for unilaterally invading Iraq in the spring of 2003. The threat was imminent, the danger thoroughly documented and the need to act with extreme violence undeniably strong only 19 months after 9/11. Afghanistan didn’t satisfy the American public’s hunger for massive military action in Muslim lands that any politician knew would be gold in the 2004 presidential election. The only problem is that everybody is forgetting that the threat turned out to be anything but imminent, the thoroughly documented danger actually completely circumstantial evidence that lowered the global stature and respect of Colin Powell, one of our greatest statesman.
Now that the
Continue reading A Seven Year Lie We Learned to Believe
There is never a good time to start a senseless military conflict that results in thousands of people killed or injured, but as far as North Korea is concerned, it’s now or never. Let’s just hope that strategic and tactical realities will prevent this country’s isolated and brainwashed state apparatus from crossing a dangerous line. Already responsible for a successful nuclear weapons program as well as attempts to share it with other totalitarian regimes, this ideologically warped dictatorship recently sank a South Korean vessel and killed 46 sailors before throwing a diplomatic temper tantrum about being caught red handed. Pyongyang then successfully intimidated the United Nations into watering down its condemnation of the sinking by not naming North Korea as the perpetrator when all investigations consistently pointed north.
Continue reading North Korean Belligerence
Oil has been flowing into the Gulf of Mexico since last month thanks to a violent explosion on a British Petroleum drilling platform. I write about this because the media is starting to realize this oil leak underwater isn’t going to end anytime soon. In fact, estimations of how much oil is being leaked are in dispute and they will probably continue to be. The sad thing here is that this happens all the time. Nigeria has so many spills per year that it isn’t even news anymore.
The point here is that BP and other oil companies run around the world with special tactics used by special teams of people that systematically take
Continue reading A Gulf Oil Spill to Wake Us Up
Hamid Karzai, a previous resident of Virginia, is getting quite testy with the United States and the Obama administration. He’s thumbing his nose at every NATO member with a fighting force in his country. The problem for the time being seems to be that it’s his country. His victory in the previous year’s election is no longer contested. To make matters even worse, the election for parliament will be happening this fall and that means Karzai will be looking to satisfy these interests, not those of the United States. Every analysis seems to agree that we are not getting rid of Karzai for a long time.
The key will be to reassure him that
Continue reading Obama’s War is Stuck with Karzai
It didn’t receive very much airtime, but the Taliban launched a complex and determined attack in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. They didn’t seem to get what they wanted. Publicity. Fortunately, people around the world have been focused on a most unfortunate event far from Afghanistan in the Caribbean island of Haiti.
Taliban fighters wearing suicide belts and carrying assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades attacked government targets and civilian areas this last Monday, the 18th of January. Normally, you would’ve heard plenty about this because the desperation of the news cycle would’ve swallowed up this attack on Kabul and made a major issue out of it. Although what happened to Haiti is horrible,
Continue reading Miss the Assault on Afghanistan’s Capital?
I have been following the second Iranian revolution since last June and it’s been an amazing thing to witness. Although it’s hard to believe this tense situation could be ratcheted up any further, it has. The Iranian people have become even more brazen, even more fearless and the nature of their actions signal that they truly have nothing left to lose anymore. They are fighting for their freedom with their lives. Something all Americans should respect.
Continue reading Witness Iranian Courage
Most of you know that Pakistan is undergoing extreme internal strife, but do you know who they blame for their suffering? I don’t mean to ask you who the Pakistanis blame for the regional predicament this newborn nuclear power finds itself in. I mean to ask you who the Pakistanis blame for physically bombing and murdering Pakistani civilians with their own hands. They blame Americans.
Continue reading The Pakistani People are Going Insane!
Rwanda has been declared free of landmines – the first country to achieve this status. The announcement was made at the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World in Colombia. Hundreds of people have been killed and horrifically injured by landmines in Rwanda. Landmines were laid between 1990 and 1994 in Rwanda and over the past three years more than over 9,000 have been destroyed by Rwandan soldiers.
Continue reading Rwanda: First Landmine Free Country
The Chinese government is opening an official bar for gay men as part of local authorities’ efforts to fight HIV and AIDS. The bar is based in Dali, a town in the south western Yunnan province. Yunnan has the country’s highest rates of HIV and AIDS, according to official data. The government said it funded the 120,000 yuan (17,500 US dollar) project to reach out to the gay community in China and break social stigma against gay men.
Continue reading China Opens First Official Gay Bar
UK PM Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have proposed a multi-billion-dollar fund to help developing nations deal with climate change. Mr Brown said the $10bn (£6bn) fund should also be used to help developing nations cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Continue reading UK and France Propose Climate Fund for Poor
Pakistani security forces recently detained a mid-level Taliban commander who was wanted by the government. Abdullah Shah Mehsud, who was number 17 on the list of 20 most-wanted Taliban commanders from South Waziristan, was captured by Pakistani forces in the district of Tank. He is an “active member of Hakeemullah Mehsud Group from Shaktoi village near Razmak” in North Waziristan
Continue reading Pakistan captures wanted South Waziristan Taliban commander
Fighting has intensified in a region in northwestern Pakistan where the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters dodging the South Waziristan operation have regrouped. Limited military operations, consisting largely of air and artillery strikes backed by the paramilitary Frontier Corps, are concentrating on Taliban strongholds in a region that borders the Arakzai, Kurram, and Khyber tribal agencies.
Continue reading Fighting intensifies in northwestern Taliban strongholds
The Taliban leadership and the bulk of its fighters have eluded the Pakistani military during the current operation in South Waziristan. The Pakistani military had billed the South Waziristan offensive, which was launched in the eastern half of the Taliban-controlled tribal agency on Oct. 17, as the decisive battle that would break the back of the group. Instead, the leadership of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, including its leader Hakeemullah Mehsud and its South Waziristan commander Waliur Rehman Mehsud, have escaped to neighboring tribal areas, and the terror attacks in Pakistan continue.
Continue reading Taliban Escape South Waziristan Operation
US intelligence officials are concerned that Syria is becoming an al Qaeda haven, as the terror group becomes increasingly intertwined with Ba’athist groups operating from Iraq’s neighbor to the west. Al Qaeda has refocused its efforts to build an infrastructure in eastern Syria after its network in Iraq was decimated by Iraqi and US security forces from 2007 to 2009, and now the organization is partnering with former Ba’athists from Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Continue reading Eastern Syria Becoming a New Al Qaeda Haven
For some reason the United States and the rest of the western world is doing their best to bury the Goldstone report on the war crimes of Israel and Hamas last year. The main argument I hear against the report is that Hamas’ launching of missiles at Israel from civilian areas made it necessary for Israel to kill civilians in self-defense. Let’s take a hard look at why the current US administration as well as a large portion of the “civilized” world is in search of reasons to justify the killing of civilians in self-defense.
Continue reading Why Obama Buried the Goldstone Report
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